Fly Fishing the Wind River Canyon. Darren Calhoun

      Wind River Canyon (Wyoming)

      Location: Two miles south of Thermopolis, in west-central Wyoming, on the Wind River Indian Reservation, home of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes.

      Closest commercial air: Riverton, Wyoming, 1-hour drive; Worland, Wyoming, 30-minute drive; United Airlines and Great Lakes Airline Commuter Service through Denver. Nearest cities: 6½ hours northwest of Denver, 6 hours northeast of Salt Lake City.

      “The fish and other wildlife along the

      river, they are our relations, if they start

      going we are gone too . . .”

      —WES MARTEL, Eastern Shoshone

      Tribal Council Chairman

      The Shoshone and Arapaho tribes consider the Wind River Canyon a place of historic, spiritual, and cultural significance. A traditional story says when the wind is right, an eagle feather released into the breeze at the top of the canyon will carry the entire length of the canyon before it comes back to rest on the surface of the water. For these same reasons, the Wind River Canyon is closed to trespassing, hiking, rock climbing, private boating (rafting, canoeing, kayaking, or any other activity) with the exception of fishing. Fishing on the Wind River Indian Reservation is akin to fishing on private property, and treating it with a high degree of respect allows access to continue and is highly promoted

      and requested by Wind River Canyon Whitewater & Fly Fishing (WRCW&F) and the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes (SAT). Floating the Wind River Canyon, per the regulations set forth by the SAT, is allowed only with the guide service of WRCW&F, a tribally owned and operated business.

      This stream has been described as one of the finest wild brown trout fisheries in the West. Though stocked below the Wind River Canyon with cutthroat and rainbow as the river leaves the reservation, there is no stocking on the reservation itself. The predominant species is brown trout. This 15-mile stretch of river varies from slow, wide sections that seem to

      meander endlessly to fast-moving, boulder-filled pocket water, explosive rapids, long riffles, soft banks with overhanging vegetation, and deep, fast-moving runs. Each of these areas holds large, feisty wild brown trout, although there are also rainbow and cutthroat trout found throughout the river. And don’t forget about the carp!

      The river is a moderate-size tailwater with flows varying throughout the year between winter lows of 500 cfs, to average summer flows of 1,400 cfs. The variability depends

      The Wind River offers spectacular scenery and fishing

      without the crowds. Terry Gunn

      on water storage levels in Boysen Reservoir and the annual snowpack levels on the eastern slope of the Wind River Range and the upper reaches of the southern slope of the Absaroka Mountain Range. In a high-snowpack year, June and early July can often see 4,000-6,000 cfs!

      Beginning below Boysen Reservoir, the character of the river is wide, flat, and serene with long slicks of calm. However there are sections that are anything but calm:

      Darren: Jack, do you want to put that rod away? This is a pretty good rapid!